OpenForum Europe is a trusted destination for research on the social, economic, and political impact of Open Technology – including (but not limited to) Open Source Software, Open Source Hardware, and Open Standards – in relation to EU policy impact. As regulatory changes and geopolitical instability grow, there is an urgent need for rigorous research to inform policy and decision-making, as well as demonstrate open source’s critical role across all sectors. We call this Open Technology Impact Research.
Open Technology Impact Research investigates the social, economic, and political effects of open technology on society. Despite open technology’s substantial role in the modern world, there remains a notable disparity between the volume of research conducted, data availability, funding, and the actual impact of open technology, in particular open source software.
Our research agenda focuses on closing this gap through:
OFE delivers on this research agenda by both delivering high-quality research – including vision papers and implementation research – as well as contributing thought leadership via the projects we work on and working with the research ecosystem to build capacity. To this end, we strive to do research in collaboration, working with our partners and supporters to deliver new and impactful research on policy-relevant issues that matter.
We also convene a global network of researchers called the Open Technology Research Network. This network convenes the annual Open Technology Research Symposium, delivering high-quality research on the social, economic, and political impact of open technology in society..
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